This invention generally relates to a refrigerated display system for perishable items. More particularly, this invention relates to an in-store display system for food items which must refrigerated or frozen, wherein the display system includes a refrigeration unit which is reusable, and an attached insulated storage unit which is arranged for the particular food item to be displayed and which is disposable.
Promotions of packaged shelf foods and other times in supermarkets typically takes the form of end aisle displays featuring cases of the food or item to be promoted. In the past, such promotions have been limited to non-perishable items. The manufacturers of frozen or refrigerated foods have been unable to participate in such end aisle promotions because refrigeration or freezing is required and freezers and dairy cases do not allow for the addition of large product specific graphic displays surrounding the promoted product. Indeeded, freezers and dairy cases are expensive items which are not sized for end aisle displays. Moreover, depending on the size and type of item being sold, efficient use of space cannot necessarily be obtained with the use of freezers and dairy cases.
Various solutions to the problem of providing refrigerated display units have been proposed. One solution provides insulated containers with graphics on casters that are stored in a freezer during the night and wheeled out during the day. The problems with such an arrangement are that store personnel are required to attend to the unit each day, and that refrigeration is uneven with the promoted items being frozen at the beginning of the day, and thawed by the end of the day. Another solution to the refrigerated display unit problem has been for companies to purchase small refrigerators and freezers, to apply the graphics to the units, and then to give the stocked units to the food stores. This solution has not been effective because the units are expensive and are typically not size-efficient. Moreover, after the promotion, the units tend to disappear because they have value to the store personnel or to the store itself.
Yet another proposed solution to the refrigerated display system problem has been to provide a disposable insulated container utilizing a battery operated fan and an air hose. One end of the hose is placed in a freezer chest or a dairy case, and the fan pulls the cold air from the freezer or dairy case into the insulated container and keeps the food items refrigerated in that manner. Again, there are several problems with this solution. The unit does not work with vertical freezers with doors. Also, the unit is tied to a freezer or dairy case with a hose which results in the unit being located in the aisle thereby both blocking shopping cart traffic as well as the freezer or dairy case to which the unit is tied. Moreover, such units do not maintain low enough temperatures to keep certain frozen foods, e.g. ice cream, frozen.
Other solutions or related devices known in the art include apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos: 1,871,784, C.A. Frick et al.; 2,030,780, R.N. Bicknell; 2,115,048, W.L. Stewart; 2,502,076, H.R. Denton; 2,502,589, L.E. Rabjohn; 3,703,088, G.E. Moorhead; 3,730,603, P. Looms; 4,203,302, J.M. Lapeyre; 4,393,659, Keyes et al.; 4,523,439, B.A. Denisot.
While many of the above-listed patents do provide suggested solutions to the problem in the art, it will be appreciated that each of them are unsuitable for many of the same reasons listed above with regard to the other discussed proposed solutions.